Doctor Faustus (1967)

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Movie
German title Doctor Faustus
Original title Doctor Faustus
Country of production Great Britain
original language English
Publishing year 1967
length 93 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Richard Burton , Nevill Coghill
script Nevill Coghill , based on a play by Christopher Marlowe
production Richard Burton , Richard McWhorter
music Mario Nascimbene
camera Gábor Pogány
cut John Shirley
occupation

Doctor Faustus is a British fictional film directed by Richard Burton from 1967. The film is an adaptation of the play The Tragic History of Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe, which premiered in 1589, and was produced for Nassau Films, Oxford University Screen Productions and Venfilms.

action

The place of action is initially the University of Wittenberg, the time the 16th century. The aging Doctor Faustus has achieved the highest academic honors, but his hunger for knowledge and power has remained unsatisfied. Mephistopheles offers him a pact : if he is allowed to sell Lucifer Fausten's soul, Faust should be given 24 years of lust in return.

Faust signs the contract with his blood, becomes a young man again and, accompanied by Mephistopheles, sets out in search of wisdom and beauty. Mephistopheles obediently shows him the seven deadly sins , makes him invisible so that he can stir up a meeting of the Pope and his cardinals, and travels with him through time to the court of Alexander the Great . In order to entertain his students, Faust conjures up Helena , but then falls for her own magic. He becomes her lover and, when his time is up, follows her to hell.

criticism

“The English poet's original fist, who uses motifs from medieval folk art, is neither tangible in its historical significance nor in its current references; the appeal of the film is based primarily on its prominent cast of actors. "

- film service

The British press was not enthusiastic. "A sad example of university drama at its worst". Burton is "uninspired" and Taylor is only "beautiful without showing her acting skills". In The New York Times followed a devastating critique. Renata Adler criticized Burton, Taylor, the script and the score in sharp tones. Only Teuber's performance was praised. The Protestant film observer , on the other hand, has a good opinion of the work : "Traditional theater production by and with Richard Burton, which can be recommended to those interested in literature not as a film, but as a filmed stage performance."

Production and reception

The film was created as a "permanent" version of a stage production by the Oxford University Dramatic Society from 1966. This stage version at the University of Oxford was the last time Richard Burton was seen as a stage actor. It was not until 1976 that he appeared again in Equus .

Burton, who studied at Oxford himself, cast the roles with Oxford drama students. The shooting for the film, which was produced in Technicolor and 35 mm, took place in Rome in September and October 1966 .

Doctor Faustus premiered in Great Britain on October 10, 1967 and in the United States on February 6, 1968. The film was the first commercial flop for the Taylor / Burton couple . In the US he only grossed $ 500,000 and criticism panned him throughout.

The German synchronization was done by Joachim Brinkmann .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Anthony Lewis: 'Dr. Faustus' Gets Cool a Welcome: British Reviewers Criticize the Burtons and the Play . In: The New York Times , February 16, 1966, p. 49. Retrieved April 14, 2015. 
  2. ↑ Renata Adler : Screen: Faustus Sells His Soul Again: Burtons and Oxford Do the Devil's Work; Adaptation of Marlowe Play at 2 Theaters . In: The New York Times , February 7, 1968, p. 38. Retrieved April 14, 2015. 
  3. ↑ Evangelical Press Association Munich, Review No. 25/1968